I fluff. You too?

I fluff.
I never knew that I fluffed, but it looks like I am fluffing a lot.
And you might be fluffing a lot too for that matter.

So what is fluffing?

For me fluffing is random thinking about anything and everything that pops up into your mind unrelated to what you are doing at the moment and it might take you away from being as productive as you could be.

I am not saying that fluffing is bad, I love to fluff and I fluff a lot, but I think it deserves some attention here in relation to the skills of  being effective with my time.

One of the things about a prosperous well run life is that I need to keep my thoughts focused.I am busy, I am a mum, I do a lot, I have a business and I want a life as well. I want it all and that means I need to be careful with my time, my energy AND my thinking.

So thinking is a valuable activity, not to be squandered lightly.
And I didn’t realise I squandered a lot of my time with fluffing, well I sort of knew but I never seriously looked at it.

But it all started with me noticing when I needed to ring somebody and the next minute I was NOT on the phone.

I was fluffing.

I start my fluffing with: “It is not the right time to ring, too early.”
Then it continues with: “Where was I yesterday at this time. Oh, yes I was doing the washing. Should I do a wash right now? No, it is raining. Did John say the weather would clear up? I’ll go and have a look. Oh, the neighbour has new plant pots. Gosh I haven’t seen her for a while, I wonder how she is. I should actually go and see her. But when? I cannot think about that right now. I am too busy. But definitely not this weekend, we are already full on.  Oh, help that means I need to buy a birthday present, I have no idea, let me see, what does she like?  Candles! good.  Do I need candles myself? I might as well buy mine when I buy hers.”
And on and on it goes and the phone call is waiting and nothing much is sprouting forward out of my thinking.
I am not writing candles on my shopping list .
I am not putting a date on the calendar to go and see the neighbour.
Within seconds my thoughts will evaporate and so has my time.

And the phone call, what phone call?

And that was fluffing.
So, I fluff. You too?